Global Programs & Innovation Manager, MicroMentor

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

MicroMentor is an initiative of Mercy Corps’ Innovations Team. MicroMentor connects entrepreneurs and business mentors on an easy-to-use social platform that strives to overcome geographical limitations and deliver business resources at scale to under-resourced communities around the globe. We are the world’s largest network of free business mentoring. Entrepreneurs matched with a mentor have shown significant results in terms of improved job creation, business survival, and revenue growth. Since inception, our community has grown to more than 170,000 entrepreneurs and 50,000 mentors across 180 countries. Our team is diverse, driven, hardworking and highly committed to the mission of helping small businesses thrive through mentoring.

General Position Summary

The MicroMentor Global Programs Manager oversees account management and program delivery across MicroMentor’s customer portfolio. The Global Programs Manager leads in building and expanding relationships with MicroMentor customers and ensures program elements are delivered on budget and on time, both by directly managing a portfolio of MicroMentor’s key accounts, supervising team members responsible for major accounts, and project managing contributions from internal and external subject matter experts.

The Global Programs Manager designs and systematizes program management processes and tools, collects and analyzes program results against key performance indicators, ensures partners’ needs and expectations are met, and leads in collecting design and implementation best practices to guide MicroMentor’s programs strategy. The Global Programs Manager will also contribute to refining MicroMentor value proposition for partners, assist in designing new revenue models for MicroMentor, and will be responsible for driving renewals by demonstrating program ROI and transitioning warm leads to the MicroMentor Revenue team.

The Global Programs Manager is a results-driven, strategic thinker, and customer oriented professional, with a strong record of successful account and program management. They have extensive SaaS and business mentoring experience and possess an in-depth understanding of virtual community management. The Global Programs Manager will assist in product management throughout the development of new MicroMentor platform features, representing customer program commitments and leading in designing the customer-community-facing user interface.

MicroMentor Essential Job Responsibilities

Accounts Management

• Build positive working relationships with MM partners to identify opportunities to expand or renew our partnership.
• Understand partners’ current business, challenges and goals to develop trusted advisor status and build loyalty.
• Work cross-functionally to project manage contributions from MicroMentor Impacts and Insights, Marketing, Technology, and Country teams.
• Assess programs delivery as a whole to design and implement process improvements.
• Serve as an expert in delivering MicroMentor value proposition for customers.
• Effectively engage Revenue leadership at key points in the sales process to maximize leverage.
• Effectively assess program success metrics.
• Leverage customer interactions to proactively seek information and feedback to continually reassess needs.
• Monitoring customers’ budgets to explain costs or negotiate new terms if necessary.
• Secure contract expansion or renewals with strategic partners in coordination with the Revenue Team.

Innovation

• Ensure to interpret MM strategy and determine innovative solutions supporting strategy implementation, in partnership with Programs and Innovation Director.
• Design and model solutions for customer/partner innovation
• Manage and evaluate portfolio of innovation projects/experiments implemented with partners/customers

Team Management

The Global Programs Manager will have two direct reports, two Global Programs Officers, in charge of planning and implementing major and replication partners accounts. The Global Programs Manager works closely with the Innovation team.

The main functions as a manager includes:

• Supervise partners’ accounts planning and implementation to ensure partners’ success.
• Support partners’ conversations when needed to solve any challenges
• Following our mentoring culture, act as a mentor for their team.
• Act in accordance with MicroMentor’s Ethos and support team member growth across the petals of MicroMentor’s Ethos
• Planning and setting goals with its team contributing to MM strategic objectives
• Supporting Global Programs Officers to achieve their goals
• Conducting performance evaluations
• Supporting their team with training and development career opportunities

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

Global Programs Officer

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director**,** Programs and Innovation

Works Directly With: Mentor in Residence, MicroMentor Product Team, MicroMentor Revenue Team

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• 5 years of experience as customer manager or leading the implementation of successful programs.
• Ability to independently lead projects end to end
• Proven experience managing a team
• Hands on experience with project management tools and best practices for driving program results across complex stakeholder groups while keeping projects organized and on track
• Persuasive oral and written communication skills with an ability to gain consensus.
• Executive presence, comfort with the unknown, strong teaming skills, and demonstrated ability to take initiative.

Transferable skills: Any skills you have gained through education, volunteer or work or life experience (including the military) that are relevant for this position will be considered. Be sure to describe any transferable skills and how they apply to this position in your cover letter.*

Success Factors

The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, and make effective communication a priority in all situations. Mercy Corps is a highly collaborative and lateral organization that encourages strong self-initiative as well as team spirit. In order to succeed in this environment, the candidate should be highly organized, and innovative. They should have the ability to work under pressure to complete multiple tasks and meet demands and deadlines with a positive, constructive attitude under minimal supervision . They should also demonstrate proud workmanship, good communication and collaboration skills.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is remote or based in Portland, OR.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

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*Diversity, Equity & Inclusion**

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees
Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.
This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.
For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.